Daily writing prompt
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
Whenever I write, the first sentence is always the most difficult one. I wish I had a trick to get past this. Even writing right now, I just have to ramble until I get beyond the first sentence, then I go back and evaluate it and usually decide to keep it because it ties into the rest of the text. However, when writing a blog it’s much different than one’s autobiography. The first sentence has to be a hook, right? That’s what I think I get caught up on. Trying to find something that is going to hook the reader into continuing to read.
When deciding on whether to read a book or not, how far in do you read before deciding?
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As I’m learning about writing I hear more and more about the first sentence needing to be a hook, Justin. I think the first sentence of your autobiography will be a good one and maybe you’ll follow the process you already have in place – writing for a bit and then going back and re-writing the start to have a bit more…”pow” to it? My memoir first started with a sentence about gardening. That got changed to “breathe, assess the situation…” so I could ‘hook’ more readers.
I think with a book, it’s the cover that gets me first of all. Then the blurb on the back. If both of those ‘pass the test’, I’ll open the book randomly and read a few sentences to ‘hear’ the author’s voice. If I like it, I’ll buy the book.
What’s your process in choosing a book?
Sorry it took me so long to reply. If I’m at the library or the store, I might take the same procedure as you. However, most of the books that I read these days come as suggestions. I’ve either seen them plugged in a podcast, or a friend has told me about them. I find that the books I discover this way are much more in-tune with my interests than if were to pick up a random book off the shelf.
For example, if I’m watching a podcast about religion and UFOs, and I’m enjoying the guest on the podcast, I will download a copy of their book the next time I have reading time available.
That’s a cool way to pick books, Justin. At least then you know more about it and can make a more informed decision xx